Battery connecter



1omis STATES Patented Nav. 15,` 1931sw PAT- ENT OFFICE 1 i 'l BA'rrERYcoNNEoTER1 e AlfredA.-Flynn,`Cleveland Heights, Ohio; assign-e 4 or to Mueller Electric CompanyfClevelamL Ohio, a partnership composed of Ralph S.` i 1 p 1 1 Mueller, Maude K. Mueller, Virginia de Con` 1e 1 ingh,1and Scott Mueller i i 1 1 i y imputation obtpbr 15, 1937, serialfrzo. 169,159

E 1 2 olaima (011173-324) f Q'Ihis invention relates to "electrical connecters, 1 and particularly to Icon'necters for connecting` storage"batterieswhen Isthe; latter are being purposes; e 1. 1 e i i i 1 1 i Heretof'ore1 electrical connecters of the general `type referredfto `herein have been used for `'connecting` I"storagel`f batteries" which` `are )being4 e charged," although, e of course, connecters `of i this `character may be advantageously used for other charged.` `These `connecters have comprised i lengths lof insulated lelectrically conductive cable, 1 the `opposite "ends of which have been electrically connected to` hard sharpened "pins partially embedded in metal j housings as, foreexaniple lead molded or cast around the pins, with the shaatrp-` ened ends thereof projecting from"` thehousings.

l Thexnoldedorcast nietaliiousings for? the pins enclosed the connections between the opposite ends of the length of cable andthe pins to prei vent acid from thebatteries accumulating ythere- 1 on. It has been customaryto provide the inetal] housings for the pins Ywithfenlarged head or `an-` vil-like portions' which can"bestruck by a hamimer orother tool whentheconnectersare ap` plied to batteries to drive" the pins into the lead] 1 posts of the batteries. Inasmuch as the metal 11 1 housings usually "are 4of lead,` the continued ap` 1 V plioation of blows thereto quickly results ina deformation of thehousings,` and aus-chas atendency to loosen the anchorage of the pinsj-in the 1 `housingsl1 L sAn object of the present inventionis to provide connecters"` `for connecting` storage batteries `and the like, 1which"may be economically manufactured,` in `that the j; housingsfor the sharpened" pins of the`1oonnecters are formedioi' sheet metal stampings. 1 e 1 1 y Another object "is to provide" connecters for "connecting storage batteries and which in use 1 are oflong life and easilyappliedto andremoved' fromfthe battery posts.`

further obj ect'1 is `to 1 provide connectors oi' thetypereferredto, wherein the hard sharpened pins thereof which are driven into the battery posts are `sohousedin 'metalhousings asto pro-l' tectthe connections `between the` endsoi the electrically `conductive cable `and the pins from acid corrosion, but to allow `the blows for driving thepins into the battery posts tobe applied directly to the` heads of the"pins,` wherefore the u i `housings are"1 not `deformedV by use andthe anchorage oi the pins" in the housings is not loos- A stillffurther object ist` to providefconnecters of" the type referred to, wherein the housings for the hardened pins are provided with integral eyes orrings through which the pins extend and into which the bared oppositeends ofthe cables are inserted and securedto the hardened pins, thus making` a ygoodelectricai contact between the pins and the cables.' e 1 i Further and additional objects and advantages not hereinbefore `referred to will become alp-1 parent hereinafter during the following detailed descriptionof an embodiment oi the invention Which is illustrated ing, whereinl i 1 i 1 e Fig. 1 is anenlargedelevational view of a conin` the accompanying drawnecterwith aeportion of one of the vpin housings broken away and shown inV section.

Fig, 2 isan enlarged elevational view 1of the connecter similar to Fig; i but illustrates the housings for the pin before theyi have been iinally positionedon thepins.`

" Fig. "3is a perspective detailed view of lone'of1 the pinhousings prioroto the application of the housing to the pin and prior tothe housing being pressedto iinal, OrcIamping position upon the pin. 1

Fig. v3a is a "front elevational view of1 a `housing after it has'fbeen blanked1 out and before it1 has been formedintotheA shape shown in Fig. 3. e Fig. 3b is a sideeleva'tional view of the housing blank shown in Fig,` Sail 1 1 1 1 A Fig. fi is a top plan view of the housing shown in Fig. 3.

1 Fig. 5 is a`sectionalview` on a reducedscale taken substantiallyon line 5 5 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction ofthe arrows. e

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional and elevational view and correspondssubstantially to the portion of Fig; lfwhich is broken away and shown in section, and i 1 i Fig.` fl is `a sectional and elevational view taken substantially on line `11 `of Fig.` 1 looking in the directionof the arrows.1

The connecter oi the present invention coine suitable means and have at one end sharpened 1 1 or tapered points |43 and at their opposite ends protect the pins, and particularly the connections u between the same and the ends II ofthe cable from acid corrosion and to facilitate'the handling of the connecter, housings now(` toA be described are provided for the pins.- As already stated, it has been custom aryin connecters of this type to provide housingsfor the pins but these housings have been in the form of masses of metal molded or cast about the upper ends of the pins and such housings have received the blows for driving thepins into the lead battery posts. It is proposed in the present invention to form the housings for the `pins from sheet metal stampings and to so construct the housings and mount the same on the pinsas to leave the heads of the latter exposed so that the blows for driving the pinsinto the batteryposts'mcan be directly `impartedvto the pins thus avoidingdeformatlon ofthe soft housingsand loosening of the pins.

"The housings are blanked Aout from ysheet metal Y incruciform configuration asmsl'own vin Figs. 3a` l and 3b. These housings vare preferably made of sheet metal such as steel that is suitably leadcoated. 'In blanking out the housings strips are punched or severed from'thejhousings alongtwo t y, sides of the strips,asindicated'jat I6 in' Figs. 3a "and 3b. The cruciform blanksjare bent along their vertical center lines"as viewed in Fig. 3a, into trough-like form to'l providea pin receiving portion I1,"frorn"the edges of which inter@ mediate the ends of said portion divergently 'pro-JA ject the horizontal (as' viewed in Fig.,3a) arms of the blanks which also are pressed into l.trough-- like formandkwhich eonstitutefeable enclosing arms 'Iand I9. The blanks adjacent the intersection of the arms with the portion I'I are 4crimped orl bent inwardly,` Aas 'indicated at 20,

and above and belowvthe strip I B. to form por-'gv tions' of reduced1 width in" the' pin receiving part I1 of the housings. i 4 Forming they housingrblanks into theV shape "just described 'and aslllustrated in Fig. 3'causes the punched out orsevered strips I6 to assume an arcuate shape as rshown in Fig. 4. The hardened steel pins I2a're `positioned in the pin receiving part vI'I of thejhousings'and pass through what might be termed the eyelets formed by the strips "I6, the heads lI4 of the pins being located above the upperrends'oil the housings with their undersides in engagement with the upperv edges of' the part I'I of the housingsfwhile the pins above'and below the strips Ilivare gripped by the Y kshown in Fig. 1.` When the housings have thus y portions 20. The uninsulated baredends II of the cable I0 are passed between the strips I6 and the pins I 2 and solder is appliedto the bared ends II and tothe pins as indicated at 2Ivin Figs.

1k and '6` to "form a Jgood electrical connection.`

The pin receiving'parts I1 of the housings are then pressed or clamped `around the pins with the off-set portions 20 tightly gripping the pins into tight surrounding relationship with respect to lthe g insulated ends of the cable;4 as` clearly `been mounted upon the pins and clamped in po` solder may be applied in the openings IIa formed in the housings when the strips I6 were punched or severed therefrom, such solder being indlcated at 22 in Figs. 1 and 6 and acting as a further protection against the corrosion of the connections between the cable. and the pins due to acid fumes from the battery getting thereon.

It will be seen that a connecter constructed in accordance with the present invention provides housings for the pins which can be economicallyproduced frornsheet metal stampings and which fully'protect the pins and the connections between the same and the ends of the cable and which facilitate the handling of the connecter. Furthermore, the lheads of the pins are exposed above the upper ends of the housings, wherefore the necessary blows to drive the pins into the lead battery posts can be imparted directly to the hardened pins and not to the housings. In addition it ls not necessary to employ extra parts in the form, of separate, bushings or sleeves mounted onthe pins for. connecting the ends of the cable to the pins, since the strips I6 integral with the housings and through which the pins and the bared encls of thecable extend serve the purpose of the separate bushings'v or sleeves heretofore employed in connecters of this general type.

Although na perferred embodlr'nentof` the invention has been illustrated and described herein,A it will be, understood that the invention is susceptible of various modifications and adaptationswithin 'the scope of the appended claims.

'Having' thus described my invention I claim:

1.' A device' for connecting a conductorv to a y:

said armsV therewith and* forming an eyelet4 through `vvhiclis'aid-pin extends and Aadapted to have the'bare'dy end 'of said conductor passthrough it between saidl strip and said pin, said portion in use being clamped around said pin and said arms being adapted to be clamped around the endof said conductor.

'2. A device for connecting a conductor to a lead terminal comprising a pin provided at one of it@ ends with a sharpened point and at its oppos' end with an enlargedhead adapted to receive hammer blows fordrivin'g the pin into the terminal, and a houslngfor said pin comprising a sheet metal stamping. havingr a trough-shaped portion receiving said pin with the sharpened end thereof projecting from one end of said portion andthe head thereof `located exteriorly ofthe otherendthereof. and trough-like arms projecting angularly` from said portion intermediate the ends thereof, said portion being provided acljad cent the junction of said arms with a punched outy integral transverselyextending strip forming an eyelet through which said pin extends and adaptf ed to have the bared end of said conductor passed through said eyelet and electrically connected with said pin, said portion being clamped around said pin and said arms being adapted to rbe clamped around'the end of said conductor.

ALFRED A. FLYNN. 

